In routine maintenance of a railroad track, railroad ties must be replaced. Doing so requires a number of steps, which include: (1) removing the spikes which secure the tie plate to the cross tie; (2) removing the tie from beneath the rail; (3) inserting a new tie; (4) retrieving the tie plates; (5) lifting the rail off of the new tie; (6) placing the tie plates between the new tie and the rail; and (7) securing the tie plate to the new tie.
Devices for removing and replacing the spikes, removing and replacing the ties, and lifting the rail are well known in the art.
Presently, however, the processes of retrieving the tie plates and placing the tie plates between the new tie and the rail are performed manually. A concept for an apparatus for retrieving tie plates from a railbed and automatically placing them between a newly inserted tie and a rail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,899 issued to Holley. Holley's invention makes use of a fairly complex series of magnetic wheels and belts to accomplish its objective. Applicant believes his invention to be superior to the device patented by Holley because of the relative simplicity of Applicant's design. Further, applicant's invention provides the capability of automatically positioning the insertion equipment to accommodate skewed ties.